Top o' the mornin' to ya!

Early Morning

“The moment when you first wake up in the morning is the most wonderful of the twenty-four hours. No matter how weary or dreary your may feel, you possess the certainty that, during the day that lies before you, absolutely anything may happen. And the fact that it practically always doesn't, matters not a jot. The possibility is always there.”

Monica Baldwin

After a long days journey through cities choked with traffic, and along winding mountain roads, I arrived here last night in dark and chill. Ashville was in the midst of a street fair. Thousands of giddy people jammed the narrow streets and crammed inside the front doors of cafes and bars. The noise was deafening, but not so loud that my women friends and I did not gab determinedly on. A guy dressed in a nun's habit flew by the window on a built-up bicycle and no one thought it unusual. At the restaurant, where we arrived more than four hours past my usual dinner hour, we ran into the only two people we all know here—what are the odds of that! We finally found the house we've rented for the week, up the side of a windy mountain with hair-pin gravel roads and not even moonlight to guide us. Late, late, I fell into bed exhausted and hoarse from yelling over the throng. There is no alarm, no dog, nothing at all to prevent me from sleeping in, and yet---here I am, watching the light slowly gaining strength outside my morning window, showing the crimson, orange and yellow beginnings of autumn. Who knows what the day may bring!

Every day is a new opportunity to try your wings, and on the side of this mountain, in this blustery wind, your wings might just take you somewhere you hadn't anticipated. The week, for me, will present both opportunities and challenges. I am one of seven women and while we all get along, two of us are accustomed to living alone and keeping our own schedule. It is a chance for me to practice my limited tolerance for different personalities. Limited is the operative word there.

I am looking forward to hiking and knocking around in a new neck of the woods—and to sharing with you whatever I find. I'll be here, every morning waiting for the day to unfold and excited about the possibilities. I hope this morning finds you optimistic about your day. It's a beautiful time of year to get outside and enjoy the changing landscape and the golden light that comes with the season. Who knows what may happen on this perfect day!

                                          In the spirit,

                                            Jane